Sectors
Fire Safety & DSEAR Consultancy for HMOs & Residential Blocks
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and residential blocks are among the highest-risk premises for fire casualties in the UK. The responsible person — typically the landlord, managing agent or freeholder — must ensure a suitable fire risk assessment of the common areas is in place and that appropriate fire precautions are maintained.
Key fire and DSEAR considerations
HMOs and residential blocks present some of the most challenging fire safety scenarios. Converted premises may have compromised compartmentation, poorly fitted fire doors, and informal management arrangements. Purpose-built blocks may have fire doors that have deteriorated or been modified over time.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 imposed new duties on responsible persons of multi-occupied residential buildings over 11 metres — including quarterly inspections of fire doors in common areas and best-endeavours annual checks of flat entrance doors.
A professional fire risk assessment of the common areas, combined with a dedicated fire door survey, provides the responsible person with a clear picture of compliance and a prioritised action plan.
Sector-specific risks
- Means of escape from sleeping accommodation
- Compartmentation between individual units and common areas
- Fire doors — bedroom doors, flat entrance doors and common area doors
- Self-closing devices and intumescent seals
- Fire detection — interlinked systems in HMOs
- Emergency lighting in common areas and escape routes
- Conversion-related compartmentation concerns
Common questions — HMOs & Residential Blocks
Request a quote for HMOs & Residential Blocks
Submit an enquiry with details of your premises. A member of the team will review the information and get in touch to discuss the scope and approach.